The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word SUPINE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
U
P
I
N
E
More clues leading to the result SUPINE
- Drink in excess initially has you laid out
- Inclined to drink wine, not whiskey
- Drink after drink — going topless, very laid back
- Drink popular ale, ultimately it’s flat
- Passive infinitive in use wrongly, split by participle
- Our lot, retreating, long offering no resistance
- Lying down: touch of unease in back
- Column about leader in uprising, passive
- Retreating American to waste away with worry, offering no resistance
- Lethargic backing for American jazz musician
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Failing to act/lying" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case failing to act/lying = supine.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SUPINE mean?
SUPINE noun- (grammar) In Latin and other languages: a type of verbal noun used in the ablative and accusative cases, which shares the same stem as the passive participle.
- (grammar) In Swedish: a verb form that combines with an inflection of ha to form the present perfect and pluperfect tenses.
- Lying on its back.
- Reluctant to take action due to indifference or moral weakness; apathetic or passive towards something.
- Inclining or leaning backward; inclined, sloping.